‘Dancing With the Stars’ TV Recap: Who Danced It Best?

By 8:45 p.m. EDT, jaws were dropping among regular watchers of “Dancing with the Stars.” The highest-scoring male and female stars of the season, as well as the leaderboard leader from last week, were all in jeopardy.

One of these pairs – Amy Purdy and Derek Hough, Charlie White and Sharna Burgess, and Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy – wouldn’t be going to the finals next week. Meryl and Charlie were the heavy favorites going into Season 18, having won Olympic gold in ice dancing in February. Amy, a bronze medalist at the Paralympics, had captured many viewers’ and the judges’ hearts. For once, “shocking elimination” would be an appropriate turn of phrase.

Of course, it came down to the ice dancers in the red light of doom. The departing duo? Charlie and Sharna.

At this point of the season, when everyone is scoring well, it comes down to who creates buzz. As pleasing as Charlie’s personality is, he and Sharna had drama-free and often-short packages, and they didn’t have the social-media chatter of Meryl and Maks or Amy and Derek. They often danced first or at least early in the show, which can send a couple packing the following week. (Charlie and Sharna were first last week and second this week.) Sharna’s choreography also hurt Charlie from time to time, coming across as too ambitious. Charlie doesn’t look that upset. Does anything bother this man? Does this mean he’ll make an appearance in the Meryl freestyle next week?

This seems to mean the final two will be Meryl and Amy, with the Candace Cameron Bure and James Maslow fan bases fighting it out for third.

For American Icons night on “DWTS,” the stars are dancing to music from “legendary and modern American Icons,” according to the ABC press release. Hmmm … how will this be interpreted? Frank Sinatra? Beyonce? Michael Jackson? Elvis? Choreographer Kenny Ortega serves as this week’s guest judge, and while he may not be an icon, he’ll definitely be better received than Abby Lee Miller was last week. “Surrender to one another, enjoy yourselves, take me to a place I’ve never been,” Kenny instructs the couples.

Each couple has two dances. No gimmicks, no duels, just dances. When was the last time that happened? If you want to be technical, they have two-plus dances because they’re dancing together (very briefly) in the intro to the show, in lieu of the usual sprawling pro number.

ROUND 1

Candace and Mark Ballas open the evening with a Viennese waltz featuring the band’s rendition of a modern American icon, Bruno Mars; the song is “If I Knew.” Host Tom Bergeron says the couples were told to pick personal icons; for Candace that means Angela Thomas, a Bible teacher and author. Angela quotes inspirational Scripture to Candace, who says that no matter how many people she’s performing for, she’s really performing for an audience of one: God. It starts pretty and flowy, but then Candace loses her footing, and the bobbles increase. Sometimes the moves seem jerky, as if she can’t quite remember the choreography, and she almost trips into Mark a couple of times. Candace is teary at the end – she knows she made mistakes. Once again, the costuming is lovely, this week a confection of cotton-candy pink and ruffles. (Camera pan to Angela and the ageless Lori Loughlin). The judges are gentle in their criticism, all of them lamenting the errors but acknowledging the high-pressure situation of the semifinals. Len compliments the reverse turns and foot placement. Kenny singles out Mark’s choreography and partnering skills, and we learn from Tom that Mark talked Candace through the dance. Score: 34 (Carrie Ann 8, Len 9, Kenny 9, Bruno 8). It’s always so baffling when Len goes softy and seems to turn aside mistakes. Then Tom drops a bombshell: Candace and Mark are going to the finals!

Charlie’s from Michigan and pro Sharna is an Aussie, but their foxtrot uses the music of a Hoboken, N.J., native singing about the Big Apple. Charlie’s personal icon is Olympic ice-skating legend Scott Hamilton, who advises Charlie to be versatile. What a fabulous foxtrot this is! In prior weeks – the “Mary Poppins” jazz comes to mind – Charlie and Sharna got carried away with props, to their detriment. This week, it’s a better use of the cane and handkerchiefs, despite an early drop on his part, not to mention his ice-dancing background. He looks dashing in tails, and he’s having a blast. Everything is smooth and sophisticated, with a bunch of fun. The last 10 seconds focus solely on Charlie, and he bounces and jetes with joy. The judges give him a standing ovation, and Charlie is laughing as he approaches them. “Bring out the Champagne! Indescribably delightful!” Kenny exclaims. Bruno compares Charlie first to Fred Astaire, then Mikhail Baryshnikov, and there’s long applause from the audience after that comparison. Len quips, “Just right tonight, Charlie White! End of story.” Meryl also said it’s the best routine Charlie’s done. He comes back from commercial break playing with the cane. Score: 40 (perfect 10s across the board).

After topping the leaderboard last week with the Argentine tango and jive duel, what’s next for Amy and Derek? Their night begins with a quickstep set to “You Can’t Hurry Love.” Amy’s icon is Oprah Winfrey, and Oprah calls. We learn that Oprah has been voting for Amy and Derek, and she promises to take them out to dinner “when” they win. The quickstep requires Amy to “travel,” i.e., move across the floor, which she hasn’t done this season. Amy breaks out the running prosthetics, which have feet that bounce off the ground like a real foot. Derek remarks on the sense of freedom they now have. No fog machine! They’re in hold, and they bounce, which should make Len happy. She glides across the floor. Amy dances amazingly well with these legs; it would be interesting to know why she hasn’t used them in other dances. In last week’s blog, I grumbled about how Derek hasn’t been using the floor and instead relying on smoke and props to coax good scores. No grouching here this time. Bruno swoons about the craftsmanship. Len, while calling Amy and Derek, light and bubbly, also wanted more body contact and better posture. Score: 39 (Carrie Ann 10, Len 9, Kenny 10, Bruno 10).

Surprise! James and Peta Murgatroyd, dwellers of the in-jeopardy red light the past two weeks, are the second couple revealed as going to the finals. They get to dance cha-cha to a new Michael Jackson song, “Love Never Felt So Good.” James freaks out because he wants to do justice to the man he considers his ultimate icon. Record producer and former “X-Factor” judge L.A. Reid stops by the studio. Spats, sparkly, yellow neon, a lot of MJ – plus cha-cha! James didn’t have the best hip action early in the season, but that’s not an issue here. This is clearly a passion for him, though not a passion in the cheesy “James and Peta have chemistry” way. The dance ends with James winking and them walking off camera, very Michael-esque. Kenny, who was the choreographer of many of Michael’s tours, nods in approval. “You took real care to make it your best,” he says. Len loves the balance of MJ and cha-cha. James had been lagging the past couple of weeks, but this brings him back to where he was during his tango and contemporary. Score: 40 (all 10s), James and Peta’s second perfect score of the season.

Meryl’s personal icon is fellow Olympic great – and Season 6 winner – Kristi Yamaguchi. She urges Meryl to have stamina. Maks feels the pressure of who he calls the best dancer on the show and is blocked in his choreography. Ah, yes, the jive. If you’ve been watching “DWTS” since the start of the season, you remember guest judge and former pro Julianne Hough accusing Maks of “phoning it in” when he choreographed a jive for Danica McKellar. After all, Maks has reminded us of this criticism every single week since. Now Maks has a chance to “redeem” himself, at least in the producer-manipulation side, with a jive for regular partner Meryl. She says his anxiety is making her nervous. He tears the microphone and the shirt off. Meryl tries to smile and giggle the negativity out of her partner. They have the jive to “Hound Dog,” and they get into the dancing right away. That alone is an improvement from Danica’s week. Meryl’s facial expressions are selling this as much as the dancing, and the camera focuses often just on her. It makes one want to get up and dance with them, and she looks as if she’s been jiving for years. Maks looks relieved afterward. As with Charlie, the judges are giving a standing ovation. Kenny cites the kicks and flicks and synchronization, and Bruno delights in the impeccable style. Carrie Ann wonders how Meryl turned Maks into something warm and fuzzy after he kisses the judge. Maks later “makes out” with Bruno and hugs Kenny and Len. Score: another perfect 40.

Prior to the contestants’ second go-round, we have our third and final Macy’s Stars of Dance show this season. The tribute to the classic movie set was created by Derek and Christopher Scott of “So You Think You Can Dance” fame. Derek’s dancing; in fact, this number has 26 dancers, including Jessica Lee Keller from “Teen Beach.” (Possible Season 19 contestant?) We see Derek and Jessica getting ready in split screens. We go from set to set, accompanied by MKTO’s name-throwing “Classic,” which includes references to Michael, Prince and Marvin Gaye. This is a great number not only for the dancing, but also the fast-moving props, and it avoids the usual stereotypes of doing “classic Hollywood.”

ROUND 2

Candace, a woman who has spoken of faith and modesty, a woman who seems most comfortable doing 1950s- and 1960s-style routines, will dance jazz to … “Nasty.” This could be interesting. Candace giggles at this. “I’m so dorky,” she squeals. She wants Mark to put in some late ‘80s moves. Mark isn’t having it. Candace wears a black wig and a slinky sequin leotard – never would have pegged that. The moves are on the careful side, but they’re in sync when they need to be, and they are tight. She’s great with lifts, as seen in her Argentine tango and contemporary, and Mark’s smart to incorporate a couple in the jazz. They have some great chair work, too. “I don’t know you anymore,” Tom says as Candace comes over. Len coos over the tight synchronization and likes how unexpected it was. Bruno’s also pleasantly surprised and encourages her to explore the dark side more often. He likes the Fosse and Jackson mix. Bruno so obviously loves judging jazz. He’s effusive about it, even for him. Carrie Ann likes how pristine it was but wanted a hair more attitude in some of the moves. The audience boos. Score: 38 (Carrie Ann 9, Len 10, Kenny 10, Bruno 9). Mark looks shocked at the 10s, and Candace is thrilled because they’re her first two of the season.

It seems strange to call the Notorious B.I.G. an American Icon. Yet he is, at least for this show’s purposes (and then I’m reminded Biggie’s debut album is 20 years old). Anyway, Charlie and Sharna have a samba to “Mo Money, Mo Problems.” “Hip hop doesn’t sit well on Charlie’s body,” Sharna says. Given the way Charlie butchers the song title, neither does even saying “Mo Money, Mo Problems.” He’s in a gold hoodie and a black track suit with gold trim, which kind of beg to be mocked. The band is doing this??? It’s surprising the show didn’t use the recording for this, and it’s distracting that the person doing Biggie sounds more like Jay-Z. Charlie does his best to sell the flair of samba and most of the technique, but his arms look silly at times. He has great hip action, though. Kenny calls it clean and committed but lacking in funk, and then he gets booed. Ex-Fly Girl Carrie Ann, who knows her funk, wants to live in Charlie’s world. Len thinks it looked heavy but still thinks Charlie deserves to be in the final. (Sorry, Len.) We see video of Charlie talking to himself in the mirror. Score: 36 (all 9s).

Amy and Derek have jazz to “Too Darn Hot,” and we didn’t hear anything about this in rehearsal, which probably means it’s amazing. Amy’s on a table, spinning, getting spun, and then sliding off. The slide off is uber-sexy. She and Derek take a while to leave the table, reminiscent of one of his routines with Amber Riley last season. They have the look and feel of jazz. When they’re on the floor, away from the table, he basically spins her with split legs, but she is off in one spot. Bruno believes this is another classic moment on “DWTS.” Carrie Ann says Amy killed it, but she saw some off synchronicity. Len didn’t, and he even gives them a standing ovation. Kenny addresses Derek. “You redefine choreography for this generation.” Score: 39 (Carrie Ann 9, Len 10, Kenny 10, Bruno 10).

Earlier this season, Peta received a lot of flak from Len in particular about a rumba she choreographed for Charlie, one the head judge deemed was too much like contemporary. Now that she has a rumba with her possible love interest, James, what can we expect? “Islands in the Stream,” from legendary Americans Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, doesn’t lend itself to steam (though Bruno later says otherwise). Cowboy James takes the mic to dedicate the rumba to the “lovely Peta,” who uses a lot of her patented long-leg stretches. Come to think of it, much as Maks’ jives look similar, so do Peta’s rumbas. We have the spin on the floor where we wonder if her leg will come off, and her long legs extended in the air. This rumba is heavy on the basics but not all that memorable. It’s almost as if she tried to dial down the sex here. As for James, he’s good, but he doesn’t have the energy or pizazz of the cha-cha. Then again, it’s hard to see fluidity when the man is in jeans. Carrie Ann calls James the smartest competitor this season because he listens to everything the judges have to say and incorporates the feedback. Len and Bruno cite improvement in James’s legs from last week but observe that he loses connection between arm and hands. (Kenny and, less articulately, Carrie Ann say that, too.) James reveals to Erin he used to work on a ranch and chose performing-arts school over getting a horse. Peta says she “heeded” the judges’ advice – which everyone heard as “hated” – after the controversial Charlie rumba and included a lot of basics. Score: 36 (9 X 4).

Meryl and Maks end the night with a Viennese waltz set to “Just a Fool” by Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton. Ah, this one starts with acting and then moves to dancing, which one would have expected in their jive, and there’s a touch of smoke machine. Meryl is in cowboy boots, which don’t fit what one would expect from a Viennese waltz, but she makes them work. Given that Meryl is a spinning queen, and Maks likes to highlight that, it’s no surprise we see a lot of that in this number. He drags one leg across the floor dramatically at the end – don’t worry, Carrie Ann, no lift was involved – and they dance together even after the music finishes. Bruno calls the sweep “cinematic” and references “Giant.” Carrie Ann watched the room watch Meryl. She says Meryl, like most athletes on “DWTS,” has not only grace and elegance but also power. She then uses a football analogy. Score: 40 (all 10s, of course).

Next week – the finale! It’s the usual two-night affair, which means two nights of blogs from your friends at Speakeasy! Give us your thoughts below on this week, possible freestyles and your predictions for the Season 18 champ, as well as anything else on your mind.